Bridge - side to side
Starting
Position
- This dynamic bridging
on the ball exercise requires you to start by lying supine on
the floor with your heels on the ball
- Arms are
straight and out to the sides of your body
- Engage your abdominals
and lift
your hips up so that your body is straight from your heels to your
shoulders
- While
maintaining this bridging position slowly take your
feet to one side, pointing with your toes toward the side you are
leaning.
- Always stay in control
and stop the turn
before you feel you are going to fall over.
Prime
Movers
- Upper
back, shoulders, hamstrings, glutes, abdominal obliques, back extensors
Physio
Tips
- Doing
this exercise with palms up increases the work done by your rear
shoulders, arms and upper back.
- Doing this
exercise with palms down preferentially works the front of the
shoulders and chest.
- Start with short
movements.
Progression
- Bringing
your arms closer to your trunk will make this exercise more challenging
by decreasing your base of support.
- Gradually increase the
size of your movements as you gain control.
- Try another dynamic
ball exercise: The Clock
This ball bridging
exercise is a good progression from the
static
bridging exercise. If you are
able to hold a bridge with good form, no shaking or sagging for 60
seconds, then you are ready to try introducing a little dynamic
movement. Keep your movements small to start. You are asking your
stabilizing muscles to control movement, rather than just control a
position. Your stabilizing muscles may not be used to stabilizing you
in the new positions so work on this gradually. Start by taking your
feet around just to the 11:00 position, return to the 12:00 position,
stop, then try around to the 1:00 position. Never underestimate the
difficulty of these exercises. It is all about control rather than
brute strength. If you can't control the movement you just leave
yourself open to injury.
Remember, if you start to shake or sag, this is a sign that the
exercise is done. Take a rest before attempting it again. The small
stabilizing muscles around your spine are the muscles that control the
fine movements at the joints in your spine. When they fatigue, the
larger muscles around them try to take over. They are not designed for
fine motor control so their use results in shaking. Overuse of the
larger muscles when you have no control of the smaller stabilizing
muscles is what can result in injury.
hold
each position for 5 seconds
hold
each position for 30 seconds
hold
each position for
60 seconds or more
